Ignition system.



s. L. LBBBY. IGNITION SYSTEM. ABBLIOATIONYPPILEDTEB. 27, 1911.

1,044,399. Patented Nov. 1.2, 1912.

Elwumtoz Jzazr 4 6 51 evenin s as one STATES LEE LEBB'Y, OF JAMESISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA.

IGNITION SYSTEM.

' new and useful Improvements in Ignition combination a constant fieldelectric'genen' Systems, of which the following is a speci- My inventioncomprises a system of ignition of gas engines, and for the simultaneousoperation of the lights or other power devices upon'motor boats andautomobiles especially, and also in all situations where it is desiredto operate a gas engine at high efficiency, and at thesame time be freeto operate from the ignition'system of the engine lights for use in thevicinity.

- The-system of my invention comprises in ator, geared to a gas engineof variable speed to operate at speeds proportional to the speed of theengine; a storage battery adapted to be floated across the generator; arelatively high resistance armature forsaid generator having aresistance such that if the battery is thrown across thegeneratorterminals, when the generator is in low voltage condition, the currentdischarged from the battery through the generator armature will belimited to a value less than the maximum rating of the batteries or lessthan that of the danger limit for the batteries; and means forconnecting the battery, generator, and the sparking devices of theengine together, which means is adapted to prevent connection of thegenerator to the batteries unless the engines sparking devices havefirst been connected to the batteries, and further to insure thedisconnection of the generator from the batteries upon the disconnectionof the engines sparking devices from the batteries.

My invention also comprises minor features which will be made clear inmy following detailed description.

Figure 1 illustrates diagrammatically the system of my invention. Fig. 2is aperspective view, detached, of two of the switches used inconnection with my invention.

10' designates the engine and 11 the power shaft of the same.

12 is the generator which is connected to the shaft 11 of the engine bymeans of the gearing 13 of fixed ratio, whereby the armature 14: of thegenerator is rotated at a speed directly proportional to the speed ofthe en- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12,1912.

Application filed February 27, 1911. Serial No. 611,058.

gine 10. This generator is provided with a constant field excitation,thefield being constituted by permanent magnets, as shown, thecollecting brushes 16,16 of which are set exactly at right angles to thefield flux, and are not given any lag or lead, suchas is usual tocompensate for field distortion and armature reaction.

17 is the storage battery which is connected through an ammeter 18, and?the fuse 19 on one side, and a double pole switch 20 from which extendleads 21 to the sparking devices of the motor. One terminal of thegenerator is connected through conductor 22 to one of the leads 21 onthe near side of the switch 20. The other terminal of the generator isadapted, by a single pole switch 23, to be connected by the cross overconnection 24 to .the opposite terminal of the battery 17 from thatconnecting through the switch 20 with" the lead 22. Thus one ter minalof the dynamo 12 is adapted to be connected to the battery through-theengine switch 20, while the other terminal is adapted to be connected,from the single pole charging switch. 28 to the battery. The

switches 20 and 23 are interlocked by means of'a lateral project-ion.29-from the switch 20 underlying the .switch 23. Thus the switch 23will'not be closed to connect the dynamo to the battery unless theengine'has first been started. Therefore, in starting the engine, it isfirst necessary to close the englne switch. This effectually preventsthe battery from being thrown across the generator prior to the startingof the engine,

since the operator meeting with opposition in an attempt to close theswitch 23 hashe fore him an unmistakable reminder that the engine switch20 must first be closed. 'Atter the engine is started, the chargingswitch 23 may readily be closed. Upon the stopping of the engine, theoperatormust always open the engines sparking circuit and-in so doing,according to the system of my invention, he also manually operates theswitch 23, thus disconnecting the generator entirely from the battery.Thus discharge of the battery through the generator by oversight iseilectually prevented. If aperson entirely ignorant should attempt tostart the engine and should close both the engine switch 20 and thecharging switch 23 at the same time, high resistance of the armature 14limits the current to such a value that not only is damage to thebattery prevented, but

GT: area starting of the engine is not interfered with, since thecurrent is kept within such value as does not materially lower voltageof the battery, and upon starting of the engine, the generator comes upto Voltage and prevents further discharge of the battery through itsarmature. Furthermore as a further protection the fuse 19 is made ofsuch size that upon overloading of the battery the fuse w w i. be blownand the battery automatically connected. .ights may be most efiicicntlyoperated cugh this system. The lighting circuit lesignated 25, and isconnected to the bat .1 circuit through double pole switch 26 ;l 28 tothe cross over 24; from the other Amine-l oi the battery. The lightsoperate s satisfactorily for two broad reasons. list because through thesystem of conneci just described, it is practically imposs hi to damagethe battery and impair vole age regulation, and ampere hour output ofthe battery. Second through the use of a constant field generator, thegenerator voltage is made proportional directly to the speed at which itis driven. It is not subiect to additional variation due to variation inthe strength of-the field, as is the case with all self-exited andvariable field generators. Again, by reason of the positions in whichthe brushes are set, as above explained, the voltage of the generator isnot subject to disturbances in consequence of variations which mightotherwise ensue owing to changes in the angular positions of thebrushes, taken in connection with variations in the strength of thefield. That is to say, the field magnetism is'constant because producedby a permanent magnet, and. ii the brushes be;set in the relation statedthere can be no yariations set up, due to changes in the strength of thefield or to reactions in the armature in consequence of such variationsin. the field, Moreover, with this arrangement, the field magnetism,being independent of the strength of the current being bece themagneticreactions set up in 1 r8 armature, and increasing as the speed orarmature increases, tend to cut down or at o 3 rent of high voltages,ds. In other words, the force is in this machine connected by lead 27to the fuse l9 and bygenerated, can never become excessive. Th

3 than usual in preventing ex engine, an engine switch by which thesparking devices may be connected to the battery to start the engine, acharging switch by which the generator may be connected to the battery,and an inter-lock between the engine switch and the charging switch,whereby the charging switch may not be freely closed until after theengine switch has been closed.

An ignition and lighting system comprising a variable speed gas engine,a generator geared to the engine, a storage battery, sparking devicesconnected with the engine, a manually operable engine switch by whichthe sparking devices may be connected to the battery to start theengine, a charging switch by which the generator may be connected to thebattery, the said charging switch being also manually operable, and aprojection from the engine switch into the path of movement of thecharging has been closed.

3. in an ignition and lighting system comirising a variable speed gasengine, a generatorgeared to the engine, a storage battery, the saidgenerator having a relatively high armature resistance, sparking devicesconnected with the engine, an engine switch by which the sparkingdevices may be connected-to the battery to start the engine, and acharging switch by which the generator may be connected to the battery,and an intor-lock between the engine switch and the charging switch,whereby the charging switch may not be freely closed until after theengine switch has been closed.

An ignition and lighting system comprising a variable speed gas engine,a generator geared tothe engine, a storage battery, sparking devicesconnected with the engine, an engine switch by which the sparkingdevices may be connected to the battery to start the engine, a chargingswitchby which the generator may be connected to the battery, the saidengine switch being a doubust-ion engine having a sparking device forfiring explosive charges therein, of a generatortor supplying currentsto energize said sparking device, a storage battery, mechanism forconnecting said storage battery in circuit with. said sparking device,and mechanism, operative only after connection is thus establishedbetween said storage battery and said sparking device, for connectingsaid generator with said storage battery.

6. The combination, with an internal combustion engine having a sparkingdevice for firing explosive charges therein, of a generator forsupplying currents to energize said spark ing device, a storage battery,an engine switch for connecting said storage battery in circuit withsaid sparking device, and a charging switch, operative only afterconnection is thus established between said storage battery and saidsparking device, for floating said storage battery in circuit with saidgenerator.

7. The combination, with an internal combustion engine having a sparkingdevice for firing explosive charges therein, of a circuit for supplyingcurrents for general use inde pendently of the firing of said charges, astorage battery for energizing said circuit, a

generator for charging said storage battery and also for energizing thesparking device of said engine, means for connecting said storagebattery with said. sparking device, and mechanism, operative only aftercoir "nection is thus established between said stor' age battery andsaid sparking device, for floating said storage battery in circuit withsaid generator.

8. The combination, with an internal conibustion engine having asparking device for firing explosive charges therein, of a lamp circuit,a storage battery for energizing said lamp circuit, a generator forcharging said storage battery and also for energizing said 1 nesses. v

STATES LEE LEBBYi Witnesses I G. M. STUGKER, C. H. Enema.

